Archive for May, 2016

There will be no problems with the weather today (Saturday). It will be a beautiful day as high pressure holds on for one more day. Temperatures should peak out in the low 80’s. A tropical depression has developed off the Southeast Coast and it is moving northwestward towards the South Carolina coast. It is possible that it may strengthen into a tropical storm. If it does, it would be named Bonnie. (We had our first named storm, Alex, in January). The anticipated impacts here in Hampton Roads are expected to be an increase in moisture on Sunday from the south, which may bring some showers and thunderstorms. Winds are not expected to be an issue at this time from this tropical system. However, any thunderstorm can have strong winds associated with it. It is possible that there may be some areas that see heavy rain and localized flooding, but widespread problems are not expected at this time. The system is forecast to continue moving to the northwest towards the South Carolina coast and then it is expected to slow down in forward motion. It is then expected to turn to the northeast. With the interaction with land later in the weekend, further strengthening is not likely. Due to the slow movement of the system, we’ll have a chance of showers through Memorial Day and possibly into Tuesday. There may be another chance of showers/storms later in the week from a system approaching from the west…. The Atlantic Hurricane season begins on Wednesday, June 1st. The forecast from the National Hurricane Season is that it will be a near normal season. Although seasonal forecasts aren’t always accurate, you should not focus on the number of storms expected. All it takes is one major storm to hit the area. Hurricane Andrew devastated parts of South Florida in 1992 and that was a below normal season overall. That’s it for now. Enjoy your holiday weekend, but keep in mind that this holiday is all about the servicemen and women who gave their lives for this great country of ours.

A surface low pressure system developing over Eastern N.C. is bringing us rain this morning. An upper-level low pressure system to our west will keep things unsettled this weekend, but the coverage and intensity of the rain should diminish later today (Saturday). It’s been quite a wet spring thus far but it appears that the pattern is finally going to change to a more typical pattern for late May. However, we’re going to have to wait until the middle of next week for the nicer weather. The chance of showers should persist through Monday but rainfall amounts should not be significant once we get past today. Winds today will slowly turn northerly. With the clouds around and a northerly breeze, temperatures will remain below normal through Monday. Then, we should start seeing warmer temperatures as the pattern begins to change to a more spring-like one. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and enjoy the weekend!

The weather pattern of late has been causing clouds to dominate our skies, foggy mornings, and occasional chances of showers. We’re about to get a brief break from this pattern this weekend but it will be short lived. A cold front swept through the region late on Friday bringing showers and thunderstorms. I haven’t heard reports of severe weather here in the Hampton Roads area. The lack of any appreciable sunshine on Friday caused a more stable atmosphere to exist as the front was moving through. If there had been more sunshine on Friday, the warmer surface temperatures would have added more instability to the atmosphere causing more lift as the front approached. This may have resulted in stronger thunderstorms. About two tenths of an inch of rain fell in my backyard. A secondary cold front will be moving through this evening bringing with it another chance of showers and possible thunderstorms. There is a small chance of severe weather this afternoon and evening. Strong winds and hail will be the primary threats. Again, widespread severe weather is not expected, but you should monitor the situation later today. The weather on Sunday will be very different from what we’ve seen lately here in Hampton Roads. It will be sunny, breezy, and dry. Temperatures are expected to be below normal. Monday should be a similar day but with a little less wind. Then, an approaching low pressure system is expected to bring us a return of unsettled weather conditions on Tuesday. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

We’ve been in quite a weather pattern over the past several days. On Thursday, chilly northeasterly winds swirling around an offshore low pressure system combined with overcast conditions made it feel like early March instead of May. We’ve seen our share of rainy periods over the past couple of weeks, but overall, totals have not been that exceptional in most areas of SE VA. I can remember many springs when I was praying for some rain to provide water for the newly planted trees, shrubs, grass, etc. Not so this year! And it looks like the unsettled conditions are going to continue well into next week with some breaks where we should see some pleasant conditions and warmer temperatures. There is an upper-level low pressure system located just north of our region this Saturday morning. That’s going to keep lots of clouds around and just a chance of a shower today and tonight. Forecasters are calling for a nice Mother’s Day with high temperatures reaching the 70’s. The nice weather should last through Tuesday but a frontal system may bring a return of showers by mid-week. That’s it for now. For all the moms out there, have a happy Mother’s Day! Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!